NY Mayor Demands Tabloids Apologize to Wife

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio blasted two of the city's tabloids for publishing front-page headlines suggesting his wife, Chirlane McCray, had admitted to being a bad mother after she discussed mixed feelings about balancing her career and new motherhood.

"I was 40 years old; I had a life," McCray told New York Magazine in an interview published this week. "The truth is, I could not spend every day with [daughter Chiara]. I didn't want to do that. I looked for all kinds of reasons not to do it."

She added, "It took a long time for me to get into 'I'm taking care of kids,' and what that means." She also admitted to feeling guilty about the experience.

Covering the story, the New York Post published a large photo of McCray with the headline, "I Was a Bad Mom." The Daily News also ran a story on its front page with the headline, "Didn't want to be a mom."

The stories prompted de Blasio to lash out during a news conference Monday, calling the portrayal of his wife "disturbing and inappropriate," and demanding the tabloids apologize, according to The New York Times.

"It suggests a tremendous misunderstanding of what it means to be a parent, what it means to be a mother," de Blasio said of the coverage, the Times reported.

"A lot of hardworking women in this city are offended," de Blasio added. "I think both the Post and the Daily News owe Chirlane an apology. I think they owe all of us an apology."

Since taking office in January, de Blasio has elevated his wife to a prominent and powerful part of the administration, and throughout his campaign, de Blasio's wife and children were featured prominently.

The headlines also provoked anger among some of de Blasio's allies.

"The @nypost’s repulsive distortion of @Chirlane's @NYMag interview, shows that they do not even hold motherhood to be sacred," the Rev. Al Sharpton wrote on Twitter, according to the Times.

The New York chapter of the National Organization for Women addressed the cover on its Twitter account, urging users to write messages of support for Ms. McCray using the hashtag "#standwithchirlane."

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio blasted two of the city's tabloids for publishing front-page headlines suggesting his wife, Chirlane McCray, had admitted to being a bad mother after she discussed mixed feelings about balancing her career and new motherhood.